Male Lead, Don’t Push, Pull! - Chapter 58

It seems like Titania wants to connect Sienna and Kyle.

If the beloved and supported Saint becomes Kyle’s partner, Kyle would also benefit from that reflected favor.

It wasn’t a sight I particularly wanted to see. I subtly turned my head away and focused on finishing my meal.

However, at that moment, a warm voice reached my ears.

“Miss Vivian.”

It was Baroness Raston. As our eyes met, Baroness Raston smiled softly and spoke.

“I can’t express how pleased I am to share a meal together like this.”

Today, there are quite a few people who seem happy to see me.

I put down my fork and replied.

“I’m also glad, Baroness Raston.”

“Our Daniel talks about Miss Vivian so much. Not a day goes by without him mentioning your name in his letters. So, I really wanted to meet you.”

“Mom, what are you saying?”

Daniel, seated next to the Baroness, blushed slightly, as if embarrassed. Then I noticed that their faces looked remarkably similar. I said in admiration.

“Daniel really resembles you, Baroness Raston.”

“Is that so? Since Daniel was young, everyone used to say he looked a lot like me.”

Baroness Raston smiled broadly and seemed pleased. She looks even more similar when she smiles. The crescent-shaped eyes that crinkle and the gentle upward curve of her lips were exactly the same.

Of course, Baroness Raston’s complexion was a bit pale as she still hadn’t fully recovered from her illness.

“Thank you for being close to our child. I should also express my gratitude to Viscount Rosiere and viscountess Rosiere, but I particularly wanted to thank you, Miss Vivian.”

“Oh, no. Please don’t say that Baroness Raston.”

I modestly replied with a gentle smile.

“Daniel and I are friends. Friends should naturally help each other.”

“But still, I heard that Miss Vivian has taken great care of our Daniel. I wasn’t able to properly take care of Daniel myself due to my shortcomings… and now, he’s grown so much that he’s even received an imperial award. It’s amazing.”

For a moment, Baroness Raston’s emotions seemed to overwhelm her, and her eyes welled up with tears.

“It’s all thanks to you, Miss Vivian. Thank you.”

“Oh, come on, Mom. That’s enough.”

“Will you continue to be close to our Daniel?”

“Haha, of course. Naturally.”

So, we’ve already created a business out of the item that got us a merit badge today, right?

Thanks to the Emperor’s push, Kyle is now involved too.

The meal, during which I wasn’t sure if the food was going into my mouth or nose, had finally come to an end.

“Could I take a stroll around the garden until dessert?”

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, I used an excuse to get up from my seat. People started to follow me.

“I’ll come along too, Miss Vivian.”

“If Vivian goes, I want to go too.”

“Not all of you will be familiar with the geography of the palace, so I will lead the way, Mother.”

Titania wasn’t entirely pleased with Kyle disappearing as well, but she seemed comforted by the fact that he would accompany Sienna. She willingly allowed the young ones to leave.

“Miss Vivian, I was disappointed that we were so far apart during the meal.”

Once we were out of the adults’ sight, Sienna immediately attached herself to me.

“I actually wanted to sit next to you, Miss Vivian.”

Sienna puffed out her lively cheeks and acted disappointed. Before I knew it, she had even linked her arm with mine as we walked.

Sienna’s behavior, as if she had found a soul mate, was a bit overwhelming, but I didn’t show it and went along with the flow.

“I also wanted to sit next to Sienna, but the seating arrangement was decided by Titania.”

“But I came today because Miss Vivian was going to be here…”

“Is that so?”

I hadn’t known that.

Sienna’s unconditional friendliness had a slightly overwhelming aspect to it, but there were aspects of it that I liked as well.

With Sienna clinging to my side, Kyle wasn’t able to approach me.

It turned out to be a good thing that I hadn’t run into Kyle today, as I had hoped.

“Have you been well all this time? Why didn’t you come to the temple? You promised to come and see me.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been a bit busy. I’ll visit again soon.”

Besides, I have to go anyway. I’m planning to capture a heretic named Tasha, who’s been staying near Sienna.

As I was conversing with Sienna, Daniel, who had been observing us, suddenly interjected with his thoughts.

“Girls sure seem to become friends quickly. Anyone would think you were old friends.”

“Daniel, that’s impolite toward the Saint.”

Oh, really? I’m sorry. Did I upset you?”

“No, not at all! I’m actually happy that I’m seen as a friend to Miss Vivian.”

Sienna’s cheeks blushed like ripe apples. She was certainly unique, especially in her boundless friendliness toward me.

Daniel grinned mischievously and spoke up.

“I’m Vivian’s friend too. Can I become friends with the Saint?”

“Friends…?”

“Yes. So, we can all be friends together—me, Vivian, and the Saint. Even Prince Kyle… I mean, His Highness the Crown Prince, can be our friend too.”

“Just call me Kyle.”

Kyle let out a tired sigh, as if he were annoyed. Then he ran his hand through his hair.

“Don’t suddenly become formal.”

“Haha, is it still okay?”

“It’s not like you’ve never done it before.”

“Since the Coronation Festival, you’ve been acting a bit different. If I hadn’t known you from the Academy, I probably wouldn’t have recognized you.”

Daniel shrugged his shoulders and looked around.

“But seriously, this place is quite vast. You could easily get lost if you wandered around alone. Have you been here many times before?”

“I haven’t been inside the Imperial Palace much.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because I’ve been at the Academy until now. Forgot that you went with me?”

“Oh, right. That’s true. Look at this. You seem like someone who’s always been in the palace.”

Daniel teased him. I glanced at Kyle, who seemed unresponsive.

Certainly, Kyle spent his formative years at the Academy, so it’s true that he wouldn’t have had much occasion to visit the Imperial Palace.

But more than that, the bigger reason he hadn’t been allowed into the palace was that, until recently, he wasn’t recognized by the emperor.

Actually, freely exploring the garden attached to the Imperial Palace like this is a significant change in itself.

Lost in thought, I was suddenly startled when Kyle turned his head toward me.

Our eyes met, and I quickly averted my gaze in surprise.

Thump, thump.

My heart started to race for no apparent reason.

It felt as if I had been caught doing something bad.

It was Kyle, not me, who did the bad act of toying with someone’s emotions and then letting go.

Fortunately, Kyle spoke to everyone without calling me specifically.

“If you go further in, there’s a place with blooming hydrangeas. The gardener puts a lot of effort into maintaining it, so it’s quite beautiful.”

“Oh, really?”

“I’ll guide you there. Vivian and the Saint can come too.”

Following Kyle’s lead, we moved on.

We walked quite a distance, passing by the greenhouse where I had first met the emperor when I was young. Just as the distance began to feel a bit far, we finally reached our destination.

“Wow.”

Daniel exclaimed in awe and whistled as he faced the massive hydrangea garden.

The garden we had arrived at was indeed as exquisite as Kyle had assured us.

The intermingling of blue and purple hydrangeas blooming profusely was truly a magnificent sight to behold.

Furthermore, the trees seemed to have grown quite tall, perhaps due to their well-maintained condition.

Sculptures and fountains peeked out here and there, adding to the desire to explore.

“Wow, it’s really beautiful.”

Sienna’s interest was piqued, so she unwrapped her arm from mine, and we walked over to the garden.

Before I knew it, we had all started exploring the garden freely.

Strolling among the beautifully bloomed flowers was a delightful experience. With every gust of wind, the sweet scent of the flowers enveloped me, naturally bringing a smile to my face.

However, it wasn’t long before I sensed someone following me.

And I didn’t need to look back to know that it was Kyle.

“Vivi.”

“…….”

“Vivi, wait.”

Kyle continued calling my name and attempted to catch up with me.

It seemed that initially, Kyle had brought all of us here to separate us and allow the remaining two some time to explore the garden on their own.

“Oh, there’s a fountain too! It’s so pretty!”

Not wanting to be alone with Kyle, I quickened my pace, pretending not to hear him.

I hadn’t yet fully sorted out my feelings, and I hadn’t made any definitive decisions. I couldn’t afford to be swayed by Kyle again so soon.

However, all of my efforts crumbled easily at one word from Kyle.

“Vivi, I was wrong.”

The moment I heard the apologetic words from his lips, I involuntarily came to a sudden stop in my tracks.